Taking a road trip across the country from Boca Raton, Florida, to Amherst, Massachusetts was the highlight of my senior year winter break. With four of my best friends from UMass Amherst, all squished in a car together, we drove through 10 states and stopped at six famous destinations: Orlando, Savannah, Charleston, Richmond, Washington D.C., and White Plains. Getting this trip out of the group chat took a large amount of planning, but I want to help you be able to do it better than us with some of my tips!
Plan Ahead
Whether it is for landmarks, hotels, restaurants, or attraction destinations, make sure to have a game plan. Consider asking yourself a couple of questions before you begin planning:
- What touristy attractions do I want to see?
- What towns, cities, or states would I like to stay multiple nights in?
- Are there any famous or popular restaurants in the states that I am driving through?
- How long do I want the trip to take?
- What is the maximum amount of hours I want to drive in a day?
- Do I, or anybody else that I am traveling with, have a budget?
These questions will hopefully help you figure out how to make your road trip fun, efficient, and worthy.
During our trip, we made reservations at two restaurants that we had researched in advance. We ate at Olde Pink House in Savannah, Georgia, and The Husk in Charleston, South Carolina. Both of these restaurants lived up to their reputations. I suggest doing some research on the best restaurants in the nearby cities that you will be visiting or driving through, and making reservations ahead of time, especially if they are significantly well known.
The touristy attractions that we intended on visiting during our road trip were: Universal Studios in Orlando, Chippewa Square and Leopold’s Ice Cream in Savannah, Rainbow Row, Charleston City Market, Hot Little Biscuit, and White Point Garden in Charleston, Daikaya in Washington, D.C., and a stunning cafe in White Plains. Make sure that you have some idea of what destination points you would like to visit before you start your trip, as it will make traveling so much more fun and easy.
book Hotels in advance
I know that it may be hard to know exactly what city or state you will be in by the time you are ready to stop driving and go to sleep, but this is why it is a good idea to plan ahead and set realistic goals for yourself during the trip. When you map out your drive with the expectation that you will hit traffic and make stops to go to the bathroom and eat, it will be easier for you to pinpoint a location to sleep. To allow yourself to not be exhausted every single day of the road trip, I think driving a maximum of six hours a day is perfect. Therefore, after you have calculated how long you want to drive a day and add the additional time to make frequent stops, finding a city to settle down for the night will not be too difficult. When you figure this out, make sure to book your hotel before you start your trip.
Double Check Hotel Reviews
Our first hotel destination was Orlando, Florida. Online, the reviews are great. It had Disney-themed pools, a cute tiki bar for a quick bite of food, and updated bathrooms; it sounded perfect. That is until we walked inside to check in at the front desk, and a man was yelling at the hotel employees about mold, mildew, and cockroaches. At this moment, we realized that we had missed all 79 reviews with the word “roach” in them. With that being said, double or triple-check the hotel reviews on every platform to make sure that you are sleeping in a bed that you feel comfortable in. In addition, to avoid this issue and to feel as safe as possible, especially as a young woman, try to book your stay at well-known hotels that you are familiar with like The Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, etc.
Make A Driving Rotation
This part might be one of the most important aspects of the road trip, especially if you are traveling with four other girls like I did. Not only should you make a driving rotation, but you should also make a rotation of who rides in the passenger seat and the middle seat in the back row of the car. The driving rotation is essential in order to avoid arguments over who has to drive when and who has driven the most. If anybody has any issues with driving in certain locations, times of the day, or weather, make sure that person has a chance to mention that before the trip begins. For example, if a traveler has a fear of driving in a big city, late at night, or during a snowstorm, everyone in the group should be aware of these concerns before the traveling begins just in case they need to be skipped in the rotation. If a person needs to be skipped, I would suggest that the person who did not drive should take the next driving shift so that they do not have a conflict with it. To prevent extreme exhaustion, I recommend having each person drive two hours at a time.
Road trips are a great way to embrace yourself in every moment, state, and form of culture. Pack as lightly as possible in order to fit all of your belongings in the car, try to share clothes with the people you are traveling with to create more space in your bag for gifts and souvenirs, and remember to respect the boundaries of the people that you are traveling with.
Bonus tip: make a shared album on your cell phone with everyone that you are traveling with, in order to reduce the amount of time that you are on your phone. Even though there is a great deal of planning involved, do not forget to have fun and make the trip memorable by doing activities that make you happy.
Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!